Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds China Evergrande, Roper Technologies, WPP, Vodafone; Updates Hitachi, HDFC, Elementis)

Jan 25 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1430 GMT on Thursday:

** WPP, the world's biggest advertising group, said it would merge its two largest communications agencies Hill & Knowlton and BCW, in the latest internal tie-up aimed at driving efficiencies within the company.

** China Evergrande said its unit has entered a deal to sell its 65% stake in Shantou Hengmeng Property Development for 137.6 million yuan ($19.20 million).

** Roper Technologies said it will buy software firm Procare Solutions for $1.75 billion from private equity firms Warburg Pincus and TA Associates, as the industrial technology company looks to expand its portfolio of software products.

** An Abu Dhabi-based telecoms company's stake in mobile group Vodafone poses national security risks in terms of government contracts and cyber security, Britain has concluded, ordering Vodafone to take steps to manage the risks.

** Hitachi and NEC Corp are aiming to raise up to $2.1 billion by selling their stakes in chipmaker Renesas Electronics, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters, joining a Japanese restructuring drive that has boosted shares.

** Elementis shareholder Franklin Mutual Advisers has urged the board of the British chemicals firm to "initiate a sales process immediately" following news it had spurned another takeover approach, a letter obtained by Reuters shows.

** French lender BPCE has approached rivals including AXA , Deutsche Bank-backed DWS and Generali over merging their asset management operations, but reluctance to cede control makes a deal challenging, two people with knowledge of the talks told Reuters.

** HDFC Bank, India's largest private sector lender, will take 4-5 years to fully digest its merger with its parent last July but expects to restore a key financial metric to pre-merger levels at the end of that period, two sources familiar with the bank's thinking said.

** India's Zee Entertainment has told Walt Disney it does not intend to move forward with a deal to pay around $1.4 billion for cricket TV rights it acquired from the U.S. company, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

** Global investment firm Hillhouse is emerging as one of the final few bidders for Everlife Holdings in a deal that could value the Asian healthcare services company at up to $1 billion, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

** Britain's Haleon said it had agreed to sell lip balm brand ChapStick to a company owned by private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners for around $430 million in cash and a stake valued at around $80 million in the buyer.

** Singapore retail real estate investment trust Frasers Centrepoint Trust said it is acquiring an additional 24.5% effective interest in retail mall NEX for S$523.1 million ($390.4 million).

** Mineral Resources expects to sell its stake in lithium developer Azure Minerals in the current half year, Chief Financial Officer Mark Wilson said.

** Skydance Media CEO David Ellison has made a preliminary offer to buy National Amusements, the holding company of the Redstone family, as a way to take control of Paramount Global , Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. (Compiled by Rajarshi Roy and Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru)